Apparatus for orienting notched cleats



Aug. 4, 1953 c. J MacNAMARA 2,647,614

APPARATUS FOR ORIENTING NOTCHED CLEATS Filed April 19, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Him-m1.

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INVENTOR Clifford Macfl amara BY 1341?, A

Patented Aug. 4, 1953 APPARATUS FOR ORIENTING NOTCHED CLEATS Clifford J. MacNamara, Dover, N. J assignor to stapling Machines 00., Rockaway, N. J a corporation of Delaware Application April 19, 1952, Serial No. 283,213

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for uniformly orienting notched cleats preparatory to feeding them to a box-part-making machine.

Wirebound box and crate blanks include a plurality, usually four, of box sections or sides, each formed of side material or slats with reinforcing cleats stapled to the underside of each end thereof, with perhaps additional intermediate cleats, and with the several box sections foldably secured together by binding wires stapled thereto. The box ends are usually made separately and are secured to the box section sides when the latter are folded around to set up the box, although, for convenience in handling and shipment, they may be partially secured to the box blanks while the latter are still flat.

In one type of wirebound box or crate which has gone into widespread commercial use, the box ends are reinforced by binding wires stapled thereto, with the ends of these binding wires formed into loops which are inserted through notches in the sides of the end cleats and bent around the corners of the box to secure the box ends and to lend strength and rigidity to the box. known in the trade as All-Bound boxes, are disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,281,908, issued to G. C. Babcock on May 5, 1942.

The wirebound box and crate blanks are customarily made in box-part-making machines in which properly assembled cleats and side material or slats are conveyed past a transverse row of stapling units where they are stapled to each other and to the binding wires. The cleats and side material or slats are conveyed by means of two or more endless conveyor bands having adjustably positioned spacer blocks with projecting push elements which engage the cleats and side material or slats and maintain their properly assembled relation.

In the copending application Serial No. 70,868, now Patent No. 2,599,460, apparatus is disclosed for mechanically feeding cleatsto the conveyor bands of a box-part-making machine. Generally speaking, this apparatus includes a hopper positioned above and in alignment with each of the conveyor bands of the box-part-making machine, to hold a generally vertical stack of cleats in proper position for removal of cleats individually and successively from the bottom of the stack by the cleat pushing elements on the conveyor bands. This cleat feeding apparatus permits the speed of operation of the machine to be increased without the necessity of employing additional personnel to lay the cleats on the conveyor bands, and accordingly makes possible an appreciable Boxes of this general type, which are 2 reduction in the cost of manufacturing the box blanks or box-part units. However, the apparatus disclosed necessitates prearrangement of the cleats in order to give them the proper uniform orientation.

The present invention includes among its objects that of providing practical, inexpensive and reliable apparatus for orienting notched cleats, for example, cleats of the type used in making All-Bound boxes.

According to the invention, the notched cleats are uniformly oriented by conveying them on a pair of moving belts along a path generally perpendicular to the long axes of the cleats. At each of three cleat turning stations, a number of cleat turning members equal to the number of notches in the cleats are mounted above the path of the cleats in line with the notches, the cleat turning members being positioned at such level as to engage the upper portions of the cleats in any position other than a notches-up position, to create, with the moving belts, a couple which rotates the cleats about their long axes through an angle of i. e., from one flat face to another. A leaf spring, or similar device, may be mounted adjacent each of the cleat turning members so as to press downwardly upon the trailing portion of the upper face of the cleat when it is in positionto engage the cleat turning member, to enhance this rotative couple. As each of the cleats successively passes the three cleat turning stations, it is thus incrementally rotated until it reaches a notches-up position, after which it will pass unimpeded under the cleat turning members.

The cleat conveyor belts are mounted for yielding movement away from the cleat turning members to permit a cleat to pass between the two while rotating.

A pair of overhead rails, or other suitable bearing surfaces, may be provided, with the belts being arranged to urge the cleats against the overhead rails so that that position of the cleat turning members relative to the upper surface of the cleats will be uniform, despite the fact that the cleats may be of oblong cross-sectional shape, and despite differences in the sizes and shapes of the cleats due to ordinary manufacturing tolerances or to failure to detect and reject bad cleats.

After the cleats pass the third cleat turning station, all of the cleats will be in a notches-up position. This is the position in which it is desired to feed the cleats to the conveyor bands of the box-part-making machine. However, it is expedient to feed the cleats into the hopper above the conveyor bands through a guide channel in which the cleats are rotated through a 90 angle in one direction. To offset this rotation, a fourth cleat turning station is provided for rotating all of the cleats through a 90 angle in the opposite direction prior to feeding them into the guide channel. At this fourth cleat turning station, the cleat turning members are not aligned with the notches, so that all of the cleats, which are in a notches-up position at that point, are engaged by the cleat turning members and rotated through an angle of 90.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical and longitudinal sectional view through a cleat orienting apparatus embodying features of the present invention;

Figures 2 and 3 are fragmentary transverse sectional views taken respectively along the lines 22 and 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the dispensing apparatus; and

Figures 5, 6 and '7 are slightly enlarged fragmentary sectional views of one of the cleat turning stations of the apparatus, with a cleat shown in successive stages of rotation.

As may be seen in Figure 1, the cleat orienting apparatus of the invention is adapted to be mounted alongside the input end of the box-partmakingmachine, with a hopper, generally indicated at l2, at the extreme right in Figure 1, arranged to support a vertical stack of cleats l4 above and in alignment with the conveyor band of the machine. The bottom cleat of the stack of cleats 14 in the hopper I2 is in position to be engaged and pushed endwise out of the hopper by cleat pushing fingers [6a projecting from spacer blocks 16 adjustably secured on the conveyor band I0. At the upper end of the hopper l2 a curved guide channel I8 is provided to receive cleats from the cleat orienting apparatus and to conduct them into the upper end of the hopper.

The cleat orienting apparatus itself is supported alongside the box-part-making machine on a framework which includes upright members 28, transverse members 2| and longitudinal members 22, 24 and 26. A pair of cleat conveyor belts 28 extend generally longitudinally of the orienting apparatus, being trained at the input or left-hand end of the apparatus, as viewed in Figure 1, upon a pair of pulleys 3E and at the right-hand end of the apparatus upon a pair of large pulleys 32, these two pairs of pulleys being respectively mounted on shafts 34 and 36 which are rotatably journalled in suitable bearings 58- cured at opposite ends of the upper longitudinal members 26. Near the left-hand end of the belts 28, small tension rollers 38 are rotatably mounted on the ends of arms 40 which are pivotally mounted on bolts 4| secured to the upright members 20. These tension rollers 38 are arranged to engage the inner surfaces of the belts 28 and are urged downwardly by means of tension springs 42 which extend from the arms 40 downwardly to the lower longitudinal members 22. The tension rollers 38 thus serve to maintain the proper tension on the cleat conveyor belts 28. Suitable driving means, not shown, is provided to drive the belts 28 in the direction indicated by the arrows A in Figure 1.

The pulleys 3D and 32 are so positioned that the upper spans 28a of the cleat conveyor belts 28 extend generally horizontally. Extending parallel to the belts 28 and spaced above them by a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the cleats M are a pair of longitudinally extending rails 44 mounted at the inner ends of horizontal arms 46 (Figures 2, 3 and 4) which are supported by means of brackets 48 extending upwardly from the upper longitudinal members 26. The belts 28 extend beyond the ends of the overhead rails 44 at the input or left-hand end of the apparatus so that cleats l4 may easily be fed into the apparatus by placing them upon the exposed portions of the upper spans 28a of the belts 28. In the particular apparatus illustrated, a pair of inclined slide rails 50 are shown for conveying the cleats into this :position in the orienting apparatus. These slide rails may extend from a suitable cleat spacing device, such as the pair of cleat spacing wheels disclosed in the copending application Serial No. 281,362, which functions to feed the cleats at timed intervals to the orienting apparatus so that the cleats will be spaced apart sufliciently to allow room for rotating the cleats to achieve uniform orientation. The cleats are delivered to the orienting apparatus aligned generally parallel to each other but without regard to orientation.

The cleats deposited on the upper spans 28a of the belts 28 are conveyed by the moving belts from left to right, as viewed in Figure 1, and pass beneath the overhead rails 44. Positioned beneath the upper span 28a of each of the belts 28 are a plurality of belt-supporting rollers 52, rotatably mounted on the upper ends of lever arms 54 which are pivoted on bolts 56 projectingfrom the upper longitudinal members 26. The rollers 52 are yieldably urged against the undersurface of the upper spans 28a of the belts 28 by tension springs 58 connected between the lower left-hand ends of the lever arms 54 and the longitudinal members 24 therebelow. The belts are thus urged upwardly to exert a slight upward pressure on the cleats l4 and cause them to ride against the lower surfaces 44a of the overhead rails 44, which are smooth so as to permit the cleats to slide easily along.

At the opposite ends of the cleats 14 on the belts 28 are provided a pair of longitudinally extending guide rails 59 (see Figure 4) to maintain the cleats in alignment as they are moved by the belts 28 along a path generally perpendicular to the long axes of the cleats.

Spaced along the overhead rails 44 are four cleat turning stations, the first three of which, counting from the left in Figure l, are generally indicated 60, and the fourth or right-hand one of which is indicated 6|. At each of the three lefthand cleat turning stations 60, there are a pair of cleat turning members 62, mounted at the lower ends of blocks 84 which are secured to the inner faces of the rails 44 (see Figures 2 and 4) in alignment with the two notches Na in the cleats 14. The lower ends of the cleat turning members 62 are spaced below the lower or bearing surfaces 44a of the rails 44 by a distance which is less than the depth of the notches Na in the cleats, and the cleat turning members are narrower than the notches, so that the cleat turning members will not engage the cleats which are in notches-up position when they arrive at the cleat turning station; but they will engage the upper portion of the leading face of each of the cleats which arrives at the cleat turning station in any other position.

The cleat turning members impede forward movement of the upper portions of the latter cleats to create, in combination with the frictional engagement of the lower corners of the cleats with the moving belts, a couple which causes said cleats to be rotated in a counterclockwise direcacer ic tion, as viewed in Figure 1, through anangle of 90, i. e., from one flat face" toanother. This rotative' couple is enhanced by means of leaf springs" 66 which are mounted on brackets 68- secured to the upper edges of the rails 44, with" the lower ends of the springs 66 being so positioned as to engage and press downwardly upon the trailing portions of the upper faces of the cleats when the cleats reach the point of engagement with the cleat turning elements G2.

The yiel'dable mounting of the rollers 52 allows them to move downwardly to permit the upper spans 28a of the bolts 28 to flex away from the bearing surfaces- Ma of the rails M to permit a cleat to ass between them while rotating from one fiat face to another, as shown in successive steps in Figures 5, 6 and '1'; It will be apparent that at each of the three left-hand clea't turning stations 60, each of the cleats is rotated through an angle of 90 until, by successive incremental rotations, it reaches a notches-up position. If the cleat reaches a notches-up position after less than three successive 90" rotations, or if it enters the dispensing apparatus already in a notches-up position, it will not be affected by the cleat turning members at the succeeding cleat turning stations 60. The function of the first three cleat turning stations till is thus to orient all of the cleats in. a notchesnp' position. This is the position in which it is customarily desired to feed. the cleats to the conveyor bands of the box-part-makiing machine. However, since the cleats are rotated through a 90 angle in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 1', during their movement through the guide channel l8, the fourth cleat turning station 61 is provided to rotate the cleats through a 90 angle in the opposite direction before they are delivered into the guide channel I38.

At the cl'eat turning station 6|, the two cleat turning members 63 are mounted on the bearing surfaces 44a of the rails 4'4 (see Figures 3 and 4), so that they are not in. line with the notches [4a in the cleats. The lower ends of the deal; turning members 63 extend slightly below the level of the bearing surfaces 44a of the rails 44', in position to engage the upper portion. of the leading face of each of the cleats arriving at the cleat turning: station 61, to impede forward movement thereof and to create, in combination with the moving belts, a. couple which rotates the cleats through a 90 angle in a counterclockwise direction. Leaf springs 66 are also provided at the cl'eat turning station iii to" enhance this rotative The input end of the guide channel I8 is positioned in alignment with the path of the cleats on the belts 28" near the output or right-hand ends of the belts to receive the cleats from the belts and conduct them into the hopper T2.

The belts 28 may be normally driven at a speed sufllcient' to supply cleats into the hopper H at a rate slightly in excess of the rate at which they are removed from the hopper by the conveyor band. 1'0, with means being provided to tern.- porarily shut off the supply oi cleats to the belts 28 or to disconnect the drive to the belts when a solid line of cleats of predetermined extent has accumulated in the hopper i2 and guide channel i8. A suitable photoelectric control system for accomplishing this result is disclosed in the aforesaid application Serial No. 281,362.

Although only one conveyor band It and one cleat hopper l2 have been shown, it will be understood that a similar hopper may be provided for the other outside conveyor band of the box-partmaking machine, with duplicate cleat orienting apparatus being provided for the other hopper, or with a single cleat orienting apparatus supplying the two hoppers, with means for dividing the output of uniformly oriented cleats from the orienting apparatus between the two hoppers.

The particular type of notched cleats illustrated is, of course, only one of the many types of notched cleats which may be uniformly orientedby apparatus of the general type disclosed herein, with slight modifications of the apparatus in accordance with the shape of the cleats and the location of the notches therein, as will be obvious from the foregoing disclosure.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a practical apparatus for uniformly orienting notched cleats preparatory to feeding the same to the conveyor bands of a box-partmaking machine. It will therefore be appreciated that the aforementioned as well as other desirable objects have been achieved. However, it should be emphasized that the particular embodiments of the invention described and shown herein are intended as merely illustrative and not as restrictive' of the invention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for uniformly orientin notched cleats of generally rectangular cross-section proparatory to feeding said cleats to a box-part making machine, said apparatus comprising cl'eat supporting means for supporting a plurality of said cleats aligned in a column generally perpendicular to the long axes of said cleats, at least one clcat turning member mounted adjacent said cleat supporting means at each 0:6 three cl'eat' turning stations, eachv of said cleat turning members bein aligned with the notches in said cleats and being spaced from said cleat supporting means by a distance less than the overall thickness of said cleats but more than said thickness less the depth of said notches, and driving means for producing relative movement between said cleat supporting means and. said cleat-turning members in a direction generally perpendicular to the long axes of cleats to cause successive engagement of each of said cleat turning members with the adjacent portions of each of the cleats on said cleat supporting means in any orientation other than with notches toward said cleat-turning to create a couple which rotates said cleats about said axes through an angle of until by such successive incremental rotations, each of said cleats reaches an orientation wherein its notches are toward said cleat turning members.

2. Apparatus for uniformly orienting notched cleats of generally rectangular cross-section preparatory to feeding said cleats to a box-partinalcing, machine, said apparatus comprising a movable belt adapted to support a plurality of said cleats arranged generally parallel to each other and aligned in a column generally perpendicular to the long of said cleats, driving means connected to drive said belt to move said cleats along a path generally parallel to said column, and at lee-st one cleat turning member mounted above said movable belt at each of three spaced cleat' turningv stations along said. path, each of said cleat turning members being aligned with the notches in said cleats and having a downwardly extending end positioned at a level above the level of the bottom surfaces of the notches'in the cleats in. a notches-up orientation on said movable belt but below the level of the uppermost portions of the cleats in all other orientations on said movable belt, whereby each of said cleat turning members successively engages and impedes forward movement of the upper portions of each of the cleats in any orientation other than a notches-up orientation on said movable belt to create, in combination with the engagement of said belt with the lower portion of said cleats, a couple which rotates said cleats about said lon axes through an angle of 90 until, by such successive incremental rotations, each of said cleats reaches a notches-up orientation.

3. Apparatus for uniformly orienting notched cleats of generally rectangular cross-section preparatory to feeding said cleats to a box-partmaking machine, said apparatus comprising a movable belt adapted to support a plurality of said cleats arranged generally parallel to each other and aligned in a column generally perpendicular to the long axes of said cleats, driving means connected to drive said belt to move said cleats along a path generally parallel to said column, and at least one cleat turnin assembly mounted above said movable belt at each of three spaced cleat turning stations along said path, each of said cleat turning assemblies including a cleat turning member and a cleat presser member, each of said cleat turning members being aligned with the notches in said cleats and having a downwardly extending end positioned at a level above the level of the bottom surfaces of the notches in the cleats in a notches-up orientation on said movable belt but below the level of the uppermost portions of the cleats in all other orientations on said movable belt, and each of said cleat presser members being positioned to engage and press downwardly upon the after portion of the upper surface of the cleats on said movable belt when said cleats are in position for engagement by said cleat turning member whereby each of said cleat turning members successively engages and impedes forward movement of the upper portion of each of the cleats in any orientation other than a notches-up orientation on said movable belt, to create, in combination with the downwardly directed force imposed on the rear portion of the upper surface of said cleats by said presser member and the forwardly directed force imposed upon the lower surface of i said cleats by friction between said lower surface and the moving belt, a couple which rotates said cleats about said long axes through an angle of 90 until, by such successive incremental rotations, each of said cleats reaches a notches-up I orientation.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said presser member is a leaf spring.

5. Apparatus for uniformly orienting notched cleats of generally rectangular cross-section preparatory to feeding said cleats to a box-partmaking machine, said apparatus comprising a movable belt adapted to support a plurality of said cleats arranged generally parallel to each other and aligned in a column generally perpendioular to the long axes of said cleats, driving means connected to drive said belt to move said cleats alon a path generally parallel to said column, at least one cleat turning member mounted above said movable belt at each of three spaced cleat turning stations along said path, each of said cleat turning members being aligned with the notches in said cleats and having a downwardly extending end positioned at a level above the level of the bottom surfaces of the notches in the cleats in a notcheseup orientation on said movable belt but below the level of the uppermost portions of the cleats in all other orientations on said movable belt, whereby each of said cleat turning members successively engages and impedes forward movement of the upper portions of each of the cleats in any orientation other than a notches-up orientation on said movable belt to create, in combination with the engagement of said belt with the lower portion of said cleats, a couple which rotates said cleats about said long axes through an angle of until, by such successive incremental rotations, each of said cleats reaches a notches-up orientation, said cleat turning member and said movable belt being mounted for resilient separatory movement of one relative to the other to permit a cleat to pass between them while rotating about its long axis from one flat side to another.

6. Apparatus for uniformly orienting notched cleats of generally rectangular cross-section preparatory to feeding said cleats to a box-partmaking machine, said apparatus comprising a flexible belt trained about spaced pulleys and arranged to support on its upper span between said pulleys a plurality of said cleats arranged generally parallel to each other and aligned along said upper span in a column generally perpendicular to the long axes of said cleats, driving means connected to one of said pulleys to drive said belt and move said cleats along a path generally parallel to said column, at least one cleat turning member mounted above said upper span at each of three spaced cleat turning stations along said path, each of said cleat turnin members being aligned with the notches in said cleats and having a downwardly extending end positioned at a level above the level of the bottom surfaces of the notches in the cleats in a notches-up orientation on said upper span but below the level of the uppermost portions of the cleats in all other orientations on said upper span, whereby each of said cleat turning members successively engages and impedes for ward movement of the upper portions of each of the cleats in any orientation other than a notches-up orientation on said upper span to create, in combination with the engagement of said belt with the lower portion of said cleats, a couple which rotates said cleats about said long axes through an angle of 90 until, by such successive incremental rotations, each of said cleats reaches a notches-up orientation, said upper span being supported on yieldably mount ed rollers to permit the portions of said upper span opposite said cleat turning members to flex downwardly away from said cleat turning members to permit cleats to pass between them while rotating about said long axes from one flat side to another.

'7. Apparatus for uniformly orienting notched cleats of generally rectangular cross-section preparatory to feeding said cleats to a box-partmaking machine, said apparatus comprising a bearing surface adapted to support a plurality of said cleats arranged generally parallel to each other and aligned in a column generally nerpendicular to the long axes of said cleats, a flexible belt trained about spaced pulleys with one of its spans between said pulleys extending generally parallel to said bearing surface along the line of said column and being spaced from said bearing surface by a distance of the general order of the thickness of said cleats, driving means 9 connected to drive said belt to move said cleats along a path generally parallel to said column, yieldably mounted rollers arranged to bear against the inner surface of said span to urge it toward said bearing surface whereby one of the fiat sides of each of said cleats is caused to bear against said bearing surface as the said cleats are moved along said column, at least one cleat turning member mounted adjacent said bearing surface at each of three cleat turning stations along said path, each of said cleat turning members being aligned with the notches in said cleats and bein 50 positioned that its end projects beyond the plane of said bearing surface by a distance slightly less than the depth of said notches whereby each of said cleat turning members successively engages and impedes forward movement of each of the cleats in any orientation other than with its cleats toward said bearing surface to create, in combination with the engagement of said belt with the opposite side of said cleats, a couple which rotates said cleats about said long axes through an angle of 90, with said yieldably mounted rollers permitting said span to flex away from said bearing surface to permit a cleat to pass between them while rotating about its long axis from one flat side to another, until by such successive incremental rotations at said cleat turning stations each of said cleats reaches an orientation wherein its notches are toward said bearing surface.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim '7 wherein said bearing surface comprises a spaced pair of fixed, relatively smooth-surfaced rails arranged generally parallel to each other and to said path.

9. Apparatus for uniformly orienting notched cleats and feeding them notches-up to a conveyor band of a boX-part-making machine, said apparatus comprising a movable belt adapted to support a plurality of said cleats arranged generally parallel to each other and aligned in a column generally perpendicular to the long axes of said cleats, driving means connected to drive said belt to move said cleats along a path generally parallel to said column, at least one cleat turning member mounted above said movable belt at each of three spaced cleat turning stations along said path, each of said cleat turning members being aligned with the notches in said cleats and having a downwardly extending end positioned at a level above the level of the bottom surfaces of the notches in the cleats in a notchesup orientation on said movable belt but below the level of the uppermost portions of the cleats in all other orientations on said movable belt, whereby each of said cleat turning members successive- 1y engages and impedes forward movement of the upper portions of each of the cleats in any orientation other than a notches-up orientation on said movable belt to create, in combination with the engagement of said belt with the lower portion of said cleats, a couple which rotates said cleats about said long axes through an angle of 90 until, by such successive incremental rotations, each of said cleats reaches a notches-up orientation, at least one cleat turning member mounted above said movable belt at a fourth cleat turning station, the latter said cleat turning member being positioned so as to engage and impede forward movement of the upper portion of each of the cleats on said movable belt to create, in combination with the engagement of said belt with the lower portion of said cleats, a couple which rotate said cleats through an angle of 90 in one direction, a cleat hopper adapted to hold a stack of said cleats above said conveyor band for successive removal of said cleats from the bottom of said stack by said conveyor band, a cleat guideway communicating between said movable belt and said hopper for receipt of cleats from said movable belt and delivery of said cleats to said hopper, said cleat guideway comprising lateral guide members which are so bent that during their passage through said guideway, said cleats are rotated through an angle of 90 in the opposite direction and delivered notches-up into said hopper.

CLIFFORD J. MACNAMARA.

No references cited. 

